


running through rose thorns

by FastPacedFreeFall



Series: Swiftember [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien gets a clue-by-four about his advice, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I made an attempt to not get my Salt all over the place, Marichat if you squint but Friends first and foremost, Post Ladybug, Season 3 Spoilers, Swiftember, but there's still a Sodium Content warning regardless, gratuitous use of Princess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-26 15:15:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20744306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FastPacedFreeFall/pseuds/FastPacedFreeFall
Summary: After the events of 'Ladybug', Chat Noir checks in on his Everyday Ladybug and re-evaluates some past advice.





	running through rose thorns

**Author's Note:**

> AN: And with one week of Swiftember left, I finally get back to posting. Timeliness is not my strong suit, obviously.
> 
> This is, of course, set after 'Ladybug' and all that mess that goes with it. Chat comes off as a little more socially aware than he is in canon, just because this is at least where he should be after the events of That Scene(TM) and Ikari Gozen. Also, I restrained from making this part of my never-ending MariChat Agenda and kept it to mostly friendly support, but it's there if you squint.
> 
> There is Lila salt, and the Lila roleplayer is not welcome to start that nonsense here.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

_"It's you and me, that's my whole world_  
_They whisper in the hallway, "She's a bad, bad girl"_  
_The whole school is rolling fake dice_  
_You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes."_

\- _"Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince", by Taylor Swift_

* * *

It's a few days before Adrien can check on Marinette. Between the increased work schedule, keeping up on his pile of homework and lessons, and dodging every attempt Lila makes at getting them alone together, he's surprised he even has time to get any sleep.

It's not for a lack of _wanting_ to check on her; it's all he's been able to think about in the few moments he has free to think about it. He's been trying to subtly keep his eye on her at school, making sure that Lila is keeping up her end of their understanding and leaving her alone. Things in the class seem to have improved since she explained her 'disease', and he'd even heard a few of their classmates quietly apologize to Marinette for not having more faith in her.

He doesn't like that she weaseled out of repercussions again, but he supposes he can't complain too much if it gets Mari back into school.

The bakery is quiet when he lands on the roof, customers long since gone to their own homes and the only sign of its' inhabitants the light spilling through the skylight. He drops down to land lightly on the balcony and taps his claws against the glass, excitement rising in his chest. Marinette's always been withdrawn around him, confusingly skittish, but ever since their talk in the car on the way back from his humiliatingly bad idea of a joke at the Museum Grévin, he feels like he's managed to chip away at the wall she keeps up, just a bit. At least he knows she never disliked him now. 

She's shown more ease around Chat Noir than Adrien, though, so he figured that this little check-in would go a little smoother if Chat was the one doing the checking.

He's drawn out of his thoughts by the door swinging up, a mussy mop of black hair and wide blue eyes popping up to find his gaze. 

“Chat Noir,” she murmurs, eyes darting from his to the darkness around them. “Is something wrong?”

“Not as far as I'm aware, Princess. Just stopped by to check on my favorite civilian.”

Her expression goes from surprised to amused, a smirk curling at the edge of her lips. “Your favorite civilian, huh? And my 'favorite' status has nothing to do with the fact that I'm a source of delicious baked treats?”

“Princess, you _wound_ me. If I were after a snack, I would come through the front door. I'm here at your window solely for the joy of your enchanting company.”

An interestingly pretty blush flashes across her cheeks, but before he can do more than perk up his ears in curiosity, she's scoffing and sinking back down into her room. “Come on then, you incessant flirt, but keep it down so my parents don't hear.”

Parents. Right. Did _not_ want to give Tom Dupain a reason to kick his ass again.

He takes care not to make a sound swinging down to her floor, crouching behind the bed until he's sure he can't hear any pounding footsteps of a mountain of a baker coming to defend his daughter's honor. Marinette rolls her eyes at him and heads for the stairs, muttering something about feeding hungry strays.

“I resemble that remark,” he hisses after her, a grin on his face. He's never had the chance to be in another friend's room before. Mari's room is so... so **pink**. In a good way, though—the color suits someone as sweet and warm as her. There are scraps of paper and fabric strewn across almost every surface, ballet pink and black lace measured and cut and waiting for the prick of a needle. Steadfastly ignoring the sudden urge to take the lace in his claws and just start _shredding_, he starts poking around through the sketches for a sneak peak at this newest creation. Most of it is individual sections and measurements, but one in particular-

“Nosy kittens don't get special treats, _**Chat**_.”

Tail lashing in surprise, he spins around with the most innocent look he can muster—and given that he regularly plays the part of a model son who _doesn't_ run across Paris in black leather and cat ears, he thinks that he pulls off 'innocent' extremely well. “Ah, sorry Princess. But you know what they say about cats and curiosity.”

“Yeah, that it usually ends badly,” she says, placing the plate on the desk and starting to sweep the paper into her arms. “And you can forget about satisfaction bringing you back. That project isn't going to be seen by anyone until it's completely done.”

Used to secretive designers, Chat shrugs it off and turns his attention to the delicious smell emanating from the plate. It was really sad that all it took was the offer of croissants to get him practically drooling, and from the amusement on Marinette's face, she knew damn well how bad he wanted them.

“Well, I wouldn't want one of Paris' heroes to starve in my room. Imagine the fallout.”

He accepts a pain au chocolat with a snicker, taking a nice big bite and nearly moaning in joy. _So, so good_. 

“Not that I'm not enjoying your obvious approval,” she says dryly, taking one herself. “But was there a particular reason you came to visit tonight? It feels like there's something in particular you wanted to talk about.”

“Well, yes. I have a few, um, friends that go to Françoise DuPont that told me some of what happened the other day.”

He watches her expression shutter, wariness seeping into her eyes and making his stomach twist uncomfortably. She gives him a small, strained smile that is all too familiar; he wears the same mask every time he has to swallow back how he really feels about, well, anything. He doesn't like seeing it on Marinette's face.

“It's... It was nothing to worry about. It's already been resolved.”

She's trying her best to appear non-concerned, but the thready undertone of upset in her voice makes him push the issue. “Resolved to your satisfaction, or just 'resolved'?”

Shoulders curl in and her teeth latch firmly onto her lower lip, but he can see the desire to confide growing stronger. 

“Can I ask you a kind of personal question?”

“Depends on how personal, but sure.”

Her voice is quiet, a little hesitant. “Have you ever had to deal with a liar targeting you?”

“A couple of times, yes.” And he comes by that honestly; the modeling world is not known for being a soft, kind place. Most other models are no different than him, just trying to find the balance between normality and the stress of their work, but a few always take things too far, and with so much ego and fame mixing, it's inevitable that rumors and schemes rear their heads. He's had plenty of experience with that; he can deal with it. But the thought of someone doing the same to _Marinette_...

He knows that Marinette has an ugly history with Chloé, but Chloé had never ingratiated herself to the class the way Lila did—she was far too prickly and impatient for that. Lila acts like a slow-acting poison, winding her way through the veins of the class with sick sweetness, causing pain to anyone who stands in her way. To Marinette.

He really, really wishes he hadn't told Marinette that they should take the high road when it came to Lila. He thought maybe they could nudge her into realizing that she didn't need lies to get attention, that it was better to make friends on her own merit than false promises that would inevitably backfire on her, but she was making it more and more clear that the last thing she wanted was to change, even after repeated warnings. Maybe Plagg was right; he's too used to thinking in terms of his own experience with the tabloids and the media, and in the process he'd accidentally kept Marinette in the crosshair of Lila's malice. It was time to start making up for that mistake.

“How.. how did you deal with it?”

“Well, I get the feeling my situation was a little different than yours,” he says softly, looking away. “I can't say much, but I'm...somewhat in the public eye, as a civilian I mean. What I've dealt with is trashy tabloid stories and lurid rumors that will only get bigger and worse the more I make any effort to combat them. The only real recourse is to hold my head up and give them no attention.” No matter how much he'd like to just rage against them, sometimes.

Her wince tells him exactly how she feels about this advice. “So you think I should do nothing, too.”

“Not at all.”

“But I thought-”

“That was about dealing with the media, not a single vindictive person,” he cuts her off gently. “If this person is repeatedly targeting you, doing nothing isn't going to be the answer to making them stop. They have no reason to, if they know you won't do anything about it.”

“But what if I do something to try and stop it, and she ends up akumatized?”

He shrugs, ignoring the pang in his chest at his own words being thrown back in his face, even though she doesn't realize it. “Then that's unfortunate, but My Lady and I will deal with it. She can't be allowed to act as she pleases just because she might be akumatized—it's not like her chances are any higher than everyone else in Paris. And besides, what if _you_ end up akumatized? I wouldn't want to face you in a fight, Princess.”

Especially not if it came at the hands of Adrien's naïve advice.

He looks back over to find her staring, mouth slightly ajar, and the stark hope creeping into her eyes just makes him feel all the more worse at how much the situation has been pressing on her. He can practically see some of the weight she's been carrying around slip from her shoulders, and it makes him wonder if things among their class are more strained than he's been seeing. She'd had disagreements with Alya over Lila, he knows that much, but what about the others?

“Surely someone is on your side in all this, Princess?” _There's no way he can be the only one. Someone else had to have been able to see through everything Lila's pulling._

She hunches forward, bringing her feet up and curling into herself, and his heart drops into his stomach. “I- I thought I did. After today, I'm not so sure.”

Wait. 

She can't mean-

“You- you thought?”

She won't look him in the eye, instead focusing on the fabric beneath her feet. “I have a... friend. A friend who is basically the only other person in class who knows what a liar she is. He said we'd be in it together, but today... he took pictures with her, pictures that are everywhere, and now I can't help but wonder if we were ever in it together at all.”

His hands are shaking, he notices faintly, curling his claws into his palms to hide the motion. He knew that she would be upset once the photoshoot hit the public, but he hadn't expected her to be _forlorn_ the way she looks now. “Your friend, he's that Agreste model? Maybe it wasn't his choice to model with her?” 

_Please, please understand that it wasn't my choice._

She doesn't perk up the way he'd hoped. “It probably wasn't. She probably lied her way into that too. But... it seems like it's so _easy_ for her to just talk herself up to the point that no one wants to question it. Even my Maman didn't see through her 'explanation' of why she lied about me and got me expelled. I know she's interested in Adrien, and he's so kind and he likes to think the best of people. What if she managed to sway him?” She swallows hard, and he's silently horrified to see the glisten of tears at the corner of her eyes.

“What if she convinced him that I'm the problem, too?”

“Princess...”

“You didn't see the way everyone looked at me, Chat. They were _glaring_ at me. They... they really thought I would do any of that. That I would steal test answers, or a necklace, or _push someone down the stairs_.” Her breathing stutters, a few tears escaping. “Even after she came back and told them about her 'disease', Alix still side-eyes me, and Nathanaël avoids me, and Mylene doesn't make eye contact. Alya _knows_ I didn't do anything, but she still talks about me needing to get over my jealousy and forgive Lila and be more welcoming to her, like I'm just supposed to forget any of it happened. I feel like I'm trapped, Chat. If I don't do anything, she still comes after me with everything she's got, and if I try to speak up, I'll disappoint Adrien and no one will believe me anyway because she'll just talk her way around it and turn it back on me. Either way, I'm going to lose all my friends, and I _**can't do anything!**_”

He's moving before he's even conscious of the action, jerking forward out of his seat to wrap his arms around her while she starts to shake apart, choking back sobs and bringing her hands up to grip his arms. She leans into him, and his chest rumbles with a purr despite the guilt drowning him. It's gotten so bad, and he never noticed for a second. He told her he'd be there for her, and she's been dealing with this on her own.

'Shit friend' cannot even begin to describe him.

“Princess, I'm so, so sorry,” he murmurs, running his claws gently through her hair. He can never tell her how sorry, but he knows that words alone wouldn't be a comfort. What Marinette needs from him isn't _comfort_, it's _**action**_. She needs him to stop sitting on the sidelines, afraid to make a move in any direction and risk his father's good graces, and start standing up for her like he should have been doing the entire time. She needs him to start noticing the things going unsaid in their class, the looks and the judgment being thrown around.

And he needs to learn to stand up for his friends if he wants to keep them.

Her sobs quiet, but she doesn't pull away. He wonders how long it's been since she's been able to really let everything out. That's okay, though—he's in no hurry to move. They'll take and give comfort tonight, and it'll give them strength for whatever tomorrow at school will bring. He calls Marinette their Everyday Ladybug, and it's time for her to have a Chat Noir to back her up.

Marinette's face is still tucked into his neck, so she doesn't see the feral grin spread across his face. Lila won't know what hit her.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and please drop a review!


End file.
